Crystonia: Book Two of the Crystal Rose Chronicles

By Emma Daniels

Alecsis Rose has finally regained his memory, and almost wishes his past has remained a clean slate. He and his friends face even greater peril as they journey to the ends of the world to face the most evil man of all; Zoran Azram, a powerful wizard who is starving Alecsis' people in an endless winter.

A new woman enters Alecsis' life, the beautiful and magical Edya, who says she can help him defeat Zoran. Will Karina be able to hold onto his love now that she is carrying his child? Or will she lose not only him, but her home and everything else she has ever held dear?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Emma Daniels
• Release date: Jul 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465900623

Emma Daniels

Emma Daniels lives in Sydney Australia, but also lived in Germany as a child. She is married with two children. She has been writing romantic novels for most of her life, and the results are clear - more than 10 books to her name. She is also a jewellary artist. Her favourite mediums are chain maille and artistic wire work. If she's not beading, writing, reading, or with her children, she's working part time at the job that pays the bills.

Book preview

Crystonia

By Emma Daniels

Copyright 2011 Emma Daniels

Smashwords Edition

ONE

DROWNING IN DREAMS

Alecsis stood at the wheel scanning the horizon. He had not sighted land for over three months, and sailing an empty ocean was starting to weigh him down. The more direct route Lorg charted had taken them far from any ports of call. In all the time they had been at sea, they had not sighted anything but the occasional gull or whale.

Even his ever-faithful dolphins seemed to have deserted them. At first the dolphins had made an appearance every day, frolicking in the foaming wake of the ship. Sometimes they swam ahead, as though to show the way. Even though Lorg had worked out their direction, the sleek sea creatures let Alecsis know if they strayed from their course. He felt their minds connecting with his, telling him they had erred from their path. It felt good to know that his earlier suspicions about them had been correct; the creatures of the sea were there to protect them.

Now nothing stirred the ocean. The horizon remained a straight, undivided line, the sea a deep azure, and the sky a vivid blue. At night the stars were their only companions. Only an hour away from dawn, Alecsis had the deck to himself. One could hardly call the golems company. Having no minds or souls of their own, they responded without question, performing the simple tasks Alecsis directed them.

Even though he was not travelling alone, the longer they were at sea, the more time his companions spent apart. Instead of drawing them together, the ocean voyage seemed to be isolating them, casting each into their own world of solitude.

There were times set aside for shared activities, such as language lessons. Lorg and Alecsis alternated teaching the others Crystonian, but that was only an hour or two each day. There were meal times, but after so many months at sea, no one seemed to have anything new to say. Even his lessons in spell-binding had become a predominately solitary activity. Lorenso would tell him which spells to practice on, and leave him until such a time he saw fit to return and view the results.

Thus it surprised him to see a female figure emerge on deck. At first he wasn’t sure if it was Karina or Nira. It looked like Karina, but she had been confined to her cabin for most of the journey, seasickness a constant bed-mate. Alecsis tried to spend as much time as possible with her, holding her hand, and wiping her fevered brow, but more often than not she didn’t wish to share her misery with him. Lorenso had provided her with healthy concoctions of herbal brew, but had been unable to ease the sickness consuming her.

Tis too dangerous in her condition, the old mage had answered when Alecsis asked why he did not administer one of his healing potions.

What condition? Alecsis demanded.

Lorenso answered simply, That is up to her to tell you.

Of course Alecsis had his suspicions, and wondered when she would tell him the truth.

It was her, he realised, his heart lifting at the sight of her. To wander up on deck at this time of the day must mean she was feeling better, he thought hopefully.

She made her way up the narrow stairway to the bridge, mindful of each step. Alecsis could see that her ordeal had weakened her. Her eyes were huge in her pale face. She looked frail and wan in her loose boy’s tunic.

Having spent years at sea, Alecsis found it difficult to understand such intense seasickness. He had not felt queasy once, although Lorenso had spent a few mornings filling a bucket. Antano seemed to have found his sea legs quickly, but Alecsis could not be sure he hadn’t had a moment of weakness. Ever since his admission of homosexuality the youth had kept to himself, taking over his watch with barely a word. Alecsis thought of speaking to him about it again, but his own experiences at the hands of Captain Rose kept him silent. Antano would be the last person to understand.

Karina reached his side, and gazed across the ocean glittering in the early morning sunshine. The mornings had become chilly enough to wear a cloak, and Karina pulled hers close as the wind buffeted her. Lorg had warned them that it would get colder still. Like Lorenso, he was waiting for Alecsis to regain the rest of his memories, but knowledge of his homeland continued to elude him. The woman in the mirror had not returned, either.

Certain that their course would not change for some time, Alecsis tied off the wheel, then turned to face Karina. How are you faring this morning? Better? You must be if you’re actually up and about.

I think I’ve finally found my sea legs, as Lorg calls them.

Alecsis smiled at her. I’m so glad. I was worried about you, my love.

The endearment made her smile. Ye whispered such sweet words to me while I was unwell.

I’m glad ye remembered. You spent most of the time trying to make me go away.

I’m sorry, but sometimes when ye feel that miserable, ye just can’t bear company.

I understand, Alecsis said gently.

They fell silent, but Alecsis knew she was steeling herself to tell him something important. However, he refrained from prompting. She would tell him when she was ready.

Alecsis cast his gaze heavenward. The golems sat as still as sentinels on their lofty perches. Sometimes they stayed like that for days. Others they worked for hours on end, constantly tacking to catch meagre gusts. Every few days Lorenso or Alecsis had to reactivate the magic keeping their man-made sailors alive. When an item of jewelry dropped to the deck, or dried leaves fluttered past their heads, one of them recast the spell. Alecsis had learnt a great deal of magic in the months at sea, but refrained from releasing most spells. Moving objects of their own accord, or subjecting their friends to ethereal activities, was not an acceptable state of affairs, and Alecsis wondered if he would ever be a true magician. Lorenso continued to reassure him, insisting he was learning quicker than most apprentices.

Apart from charting their course, and taking his turn at the wheel, Lorg had also become a teacher. He was better at it than Alecsis, making learning the new language as much fun as possible. Antano learned fastest of all, repeating the words with barely an accent. Karina, although unwell, had also learnt quickly, Nira found it the most difficult, even though Lorg often murmured endearments to her in his own language.

Alecsis couldn’t help envying them. He often came across them cuddled together. They usually shared their watch, and when Alecsis saw them kissing and embracing out on the deck, he yearned for the soft warmth of Karina’s body. But her seasickness and fear of intimacy meant he only dared attempt the chastest of touches.

I need to tell you something, Karina’s voice cut across his thoughts, and he turned to give her his full attention.

I had a feeling that might be the case.

I don’t know how to begin, she said shakily.

This is Alecsis ye’re talking to. You can tell me anything, he tried to reassure her, but she refused to meet his gaze.

I’m so afeared, she murmured, hanging her head.

Of what, my love? He reached for her, but she stepped back out of his reach.

I’m with child, Alecsis! she finally blurted out.

Even though he had been expecting this, he still felt a jolt of emotion deep inside, a sense of pride, of wonder, a surge of love. That was why he couldn’t understand her fear. What was she afraid of? That the child wouldn’t live? What lay at their journey’s end?

‘Tis wonderful news, dear heart. You do me a great honour in making me a father. He extended his hands to her again, but she did not move. What is it? What are you so afraid of?

That it might not be yours, she admitted.

He felt another jolt, more like a kick this time. It caught him right in the solar-plexus. Wh- what do you mean?

Ye must know what I’m talking about. Her head snapped up, her eyes flashing dangerously. Do I have to spell it out to you?

Alecsis was horrified. Joy turned into terror, squeezing his insides like a giant clamp. You can’t mean Leonado? Surely something that horrific would never come to pass.

That’s exactly what I mean! she almost screamed. I’m going to spend another five or six months wondering, not knowing, fearing the babe could be his...

I thought you’d said you would know whose child it was.

Well I don’t, she cried in utter despair.

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Her fear reached its icy fingers out to him, wrapping themselves around his heart. He shuddered, feeling the coldness knead through him.

Unless... she began again in a more subdued tone. Unless there is some kind of magic we can use to find out whose child it is.

Thrown from the miserable path his thoughts had taken, he scratched the side of his head, immediately working on possibilities. I don’t know of any now, but once I discuss it with Lorenso, then perhaps we can come up with something.

Nay! Karina protested, holding up a hand. I don’t want him involved. The prospect that I could be carrying his grandson might influence him.

But how else will I find out if there is a spell?

There must be a way, she said weakly. Have ye read all of Lorenso’s book?

Nay. I’m about two-thirds of the way through... It could take a while, but I will try to find out for you... for both of us.

Karina was close to tears. She felt ill again. Merely thinking of the prospect that the baby might not be Alecsis’s was enough to make the bile burn her throat. How could she ever love such a child? She knew it wasn’t seasickness making her ill. It was the baby. She took hold of his leather tunic, gripping it so hard that her knuckles turned white. Please Alecsis! Please ease my fears. I can’t bear not knowing. Lorenso is a good man, but his son is not. I couldn’t bear to bring something evil into the world.

He reached for her, enveloping her in his warm embrace. His strong arms comforted her, helped to ease the fear somewhat. Please don’t fret, my love. I’ll do all I can. If worst comes to worst and the child is not mine -

She tensed and he gently stroked her back. He felt the slight swell of her stomach as she leaned into him. Please be mine? He pleaded silently, slowly lowering his hand to stroke the new life forming within. I will be a good father to you, little one. But he had to face reality.

If that should be the case, I will love him or her anyway, he continued. Our care and devotion would surely stop it from taking up the dark path.

Didn’t you hear what I said? she sobbed into his chest. Why did the son of two good people turn out bad? How can we stop it from happening again?

I don’t know, he murmured against her hair, suddenly feeling as helpless as he had in Captain Rose’s bed. He shuddered. Now wasn’t the time to burden himself with negative images from the past. Karina had come to him for comfort, for help, and he was determined to give it. We can but hope that our love will save him... But there is a very good chance that the babe is mine... and I will endeavor to find out if there is a spell that determines a child’s origins... Either way we will win the war against evil.

Can ye promise me that?

Alecsis sighed. He knew he had already failed her once. Why were the things she asked of him so difficult, so heart-wrenchingly painful? Nay, I cannot make such a promise, but I shall do what I can. We are travelling to a new world. All kinds of things may be possible in Crystonia that the people of Avion haven’t even dreamed of.

You haven’t regained any more of your memories, have you?

He shook his head, and Karina felt his chin move against her hair. Not a thing, he murmured. I think I have to see the place for something to come back. I need to experience things of significance to jolt my memory.

He realised as soon as those words were out that he had given her the perfect opportunity to pry into the reason for remembering The Crystal Rose, but she was too distraught about her own situation to query further.

I had better return below. All this fresh air is making me feel queasy again. She extricated herself from his embrace, and started to walk away. Alecsis let her go, but inside his heart rebelled. Do something it shrieked. Make everything all right, but like the night Leonado took her, he felt wretched and useless.

The same dream haunted Krystos for the third night in a row. He was drowning. Huge storm-whipped waves kept forcing him under. He tried to claw his way awake, at the same time as he fought to keep afloat. All around him the ocean churned and boiled, pushing him ever closer to a watery grave. Exhaustion eventually forced him to succumb to its relentless pull. Slowly, reluctantly, he slipped into the dark oblivion of death...

He always woke at this point, his body coated with sweat, gasping and retching for breath.

Lying in the dark, trying to calm his racing heart, he wondered what it meant. The dream had come for a reason. But what was it trying to tell him?

The only answer he could come up with was that he had to act, set his plan into motion as soon as possible. They had been at sea for four months. The golems were operating the sails without mishap. Lorg had worked out the route home, and deduced that it would take them another month or two, three at the most.

Krystos climbed out of bed, and slipped on his clothes. He knew nobody but himself locked their door, and that Alecsis no longer slept with his sword at his side. Think you are safe now, do you? Krystos thought venomously. Well, you will soon discover the truth, only moments before I evict your spirit, and send it reeling to its maker!

The cold night air made him shiver, and he quickly slipped on his boots, but he didn’t bother with his cloak. Soon he would be free of this weak boy’s body with its constant lapses in concentration. What need would Antano have for warmth when he lay dead on the floor?

Krystos slipped from his room on silent feet, sneaking down the corridor to the cabin Alecsis shared with Lorenso and Lorg. Several lanterns lit the way. Secure in their wire and glass baskets, they soaked up a flammable liquid kept in metal canisters stored in the hold, sometimes staying alight into the early hours of the morning. Crystonia was more advanced than Avion in every way, and Krystos looked forward to returning to the comforts of home.

The ship creaked and groaned. Above the wind shrieked through the rigging. Krystos found the sound comforting. It soothed his nervousness. I have to succeed this time, he thought. I will succeed.

The door to the men’s room was ajar, and Krystos crept inside. A lantern burned in one corner, sending shadows dancing across the floor.

From the rhythmic rumbling, Krystos could tell both Lorenso and Lorg were asleep, but Alecsis never snored, so Krystos knew not if he slumbered. Krystos tiptoed across the floor, stepping cautiously on each new floorboard in case it creaked under his weight. It seemed to take minutes instead of seconds to reach Alecsis’s bed. Krystos flicked his gaze around the chamber, spotting the Holy Avenger in its scabbard, resting against a far wall, well out of Alecsis’s reach. Krystos allowed himself a small smile. Soon it will all be over.

For a moment Krystos stood beside the bed, staring down at the body that would shortly be his. He lay on his side, hugging a spare pillow to his chest. You always did that, seeking whatever comfort you could. And now your princess has turned her back on physical pleasure. You might as well be dead, Alecsis, Krystos thought, preparing himself for the transformation...

Suddenly Krystos found himself sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. He almost cursed out loud, barely believing he had lost consciousness at such a critical moment. Perhaps the transformation would not be possible, not if he lost himself halfway through.

Krystos jumped to his feet, suddenly furious with himself. How could he fail at a task he had mastered with ease many times before? The puny body he now occupied was at fault, not he.

Again he started to concentrate on the task ahead, willing himself to relax and abandon all emotion.

This time he had no problem leaving his body. As he slipped into spirit form, he saw it slump to the ground beneath him. For a moment he hovered over Alecsis. He shifted in his sleep, rolling onto his back, letting the pillow drop to the floor. Krystos waited for him to settle, and then lunged, knowing a slumbering mind was easier to conquer than an alert one.

Expecting to slide easily into the soft yielding brain of his new conquest, he was shocked by the hard barrier that sprung up to repel him. It felt as though he had careered head first into a stone wall, and for a moment he floundered, pain spiraling through him. Then, when he had managed to force it down to a bearable level, he searched for cracks in the wall. He spread the tentacles of his own mind along its hard, imposing surface,